


broken things

by sleeponrooftops



Series: raising webhead: a parenting guide, attempted by the science boyfriends [38]
Category: Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-14
Updated: 2013-07-14
Packaged: 2017-12-20 03:44:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/882553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleeponrooftops/pseuds/sleeponrooftops
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony and Bruce split up the parenting to hear both sides of the story, and Wade makes a decision that will change his friendship with Peter forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	broken things

“Who do you want?” Bruce asks as they approach the waiting room, and Tony sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face.

 

“I’ll take Wade,” he says, “You have more patience, and I really don’t think I can deal with Johnny right now.”

 

“It’s not his fault, Tony,” Bruce reminds him, waiting for Tony to look at him before he leaves him with a kiss, heading for where Johnny’s sitting.

 

Tony makes his way toward the exit, and he finds Wade some feet away from the doors, out of the way, all tucked up.  He’s got his head between his knees, just resting there, though one of his arms is extended, a cigarette balanced between his fingers.  Tony stalls, looking at him, and he frowns, trying to read between the lines of what Wade had told them on the phone.

 

Sighing, Tony heads over, bracing a hand against the wall before he lowers himself down next to Wade.  “Hey,” he says, and Wade takes a moment before lifting his head and looking over.  His eyes are bloodshot and swollen, and he only holds Tony’s gaze for a few seconds before looking forward and lifting his cigarette to his mouth.  Tony realizes belatedly he’s only seen Wade without his mask a few times, and he frowns, asking, “Where’s your mask?”

 

Wade lets out an empty, clipped laugh before saying, “Johnny tried to burn it off.”

 

“Wade,” Tony says, shocked, “What the hell didn’t you tell us?”

 

“A lot,” he admits, “The ambulance was already on its way, and Peter was freaking the fuck out, so I just—I gave you the basics.”

 

“Tell me what happened,” Tony says, trying to keep his voice steady.

 

Wade sighs, takes a drag on his cigarette, and then begins, “I was off having a smoke, keeping an eye on them from a distance, like you and Bruce asked me to whenever I hang out with them, and, look, I totally respect that you don’t want Peter exposed to that, and it was really shit of me to have drank that time forever ago when he was over, which is why I’ve never done it since then.  _Anyway_ , I usually take a walk when I smoke when I’m with them, and Peter and Johnny were sitting on top of one of the structures, just talking.  Johnny tried to get up, and Peter pulled him back down, so I started to head back over cos I thought they were fighting, and they were high up, so I was afraid something was going to happen.

 

“I was almost there, and they were legit fighting, yelling at each other and shit, and Johnny shoved Peter, so I ran over and pulled him away.  Johnny set my mask on fire, Peter got in between us, and then Johnny was just—he was talking shit to me and to Peter, and he called me a—a fucking pervert, so I jumped at him.  He meant to hit me, but he hit Peter in the face on accident, and Peter kind of stumbled backward, and we were still on the structure, a few levels up, and he must have landed on his arm the wrong way.  I got down to him, and it was— _god_ , Tony, I could _see_ the bone, and there was blood everywhere, and he was panicking, and I just—I’m so sorry.  I didn’t—I never— _fuck_.”

 

“Hey,” Tony says, lifting an arm around Wade and drawing him in, “It’s okay.  I know you didn’t mean for him to get hurt.  Johnny can be a hothead, alright?  I would’ve—I would’ve jumped at him, too, if I was your age and he had said that, but do you understand where he’s coming from?”

 

“I do,” Wade says, his voice cracking.  Tony releases him, waiting for him to continue.  “I get it,” he says finally, “I shouldn’t—I shouldn’t still be hanging out with them.  I know it’s weird, but I—I don’t _have_ friends, Tony, and Peter was the first person in my life who was ever truly nice to me, someone who was actually close to my age, and I guess I just—I stuck to him.  I didn’t want to let him go, and I know it’s fucked up for a seventeen-year-old to be hanging out with a bunch of thirteen-year-olds, but I just—they’re my only friends.  And I get why Johnny’s pissed because Peter was his friend first, and I never meant to—shit, I don’t know, I guess he thinks I took Peter from him, which isn’t true, and it’s so messed up that he thinks that.  I know they’re all friends with each other, way better than I am with them, but I also know that Peter and I are really close, and I guess it gets weird for Johnny sometimes, that Peter is close with him and Flash, but also me, separately.  I don’t know.  I get it, and I should’ve just—I should’ve just _stopped_.  I’m gonna—I’m gonna stop coming around, okay?  I know I shouldn’t, but just—let Peter know it’s not cos of him.”

 

“Wade,” Tony says, fear flooding him as Wade stands, fear for Peter and how broken he’s going to be, “Wade, wait.”

 

“No,” Wade says, stepping away and toeing out his cigarette.  He looks down at Tony, still sitting against the wall, and Tony sags a little at the very obvious way he’s trying not to cry.  Wade shrugs, a shaky smile flitting across his face.  “Tell him I’m sorry,” he mumbles, “I never—I never meant to hurt him—in, uhm—in any way.”  Wade pauses only a second longer, and then he breaks, tears spilling down his face, so he turns away hastily, walking quickly, and Tony watches him go, unable to move.

 

Bruce finds him there a few minutes later, still staring after where Wade’s already disappeared.  He comes over, sitting next to Tony slowly.  “This is a far way down,” he says, and Tony laughs softly, leaning into him.

 

“Old man,” he mutters, and Bruce smiles, turning his head to kiss Tony’s temple.

 

“Where’s Wade?”

 

“He left.”

 

“Is he coming back?  I know Peter will want to see him when he gets out of surgery.”

 

“He _left_ , Bruce.”

 

Tony lifts his head, and Bruce meets his gaze, wide-eyed and frowning.  “No,” he says, looking out to the parking lot and then back to Tony, “No, he can’t—he can’t leave him.  Tony, Wade is his _best friend_.  I know it’s weird sometimes, the age gap, but—”

 

“Bruce, he’s gone, and he’s not coming back.  Just—we have to help Peter understand why, so we can’t fight it, okay?  What happened with Johnny?”

 

“That’s, uhm—that’s actually why I came out looking for you,” Bruce says, shaking his head, “He’s sick over what happened, he blames himself entirely, which you can’t,” Bruce adds when Tony huffs in agreement.  “Boys fight, Tony,” Bruce continues, “This was bound to happen eventually to one of them, and it sucks, it really does, that it was Peter, but it’s just a broken arm.  It’ll heal, and so will he and Johnny, and—and everything will be okay.”

 

“Do you really think he’ll forgive Johnny?  Some of the things he said to Wade, Bruce—”

 

“I know, Johnny told me.  He was, uhm—he was gonna see if he could talk to Wade, actually, and sort things out, but I guess that’s off the table.  Johnny is Peter’s best friend, too, and we can’t let that fade out because of this.  They need to talk to each other.”

 

“Yeah,” Tony sighs, dropping his head back and closing his eyes.  They stay there for a few more minutes before Bruce taps him on the thigh and then gets up, groaning.  He holds out a hand to Tony, who laughs after he’s up, cracking his back.  “I am way too old to be doing that,” he says, and Bruce laughs at him, rolling his eyes.

 

“Come on, grandpa, let’s go see if Peter’s out of surgery yet.”

 

Tony nods, taking his hand, and they head back to the hospital together.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m putting this one up early because I’ve been a little absent lately, whether it’s being timely with review responses or putting up fics or whatnot, and this one was absolute hell for me to write because I adore Wade. There will be another part—another two, technically—as this is one of the main events of the series, but, for now, don’t forget to leave your thoughts!


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